


Monster is a Relative Term

by arbitraryallegory



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-14
Updated: 2014-05-14
Packaged: 2018-01-24 20:06:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1615433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arbitraryallegory/pseuds/arbitraryallegory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karma and Korosensei have a chat about things both mundane and extraordinary. For Karma, Nagisa is a bit of both.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Monster is a Relative Term

Karma caught his assailant’s wrist on the down-swing, dug viciously into the tendon beneath his thumb, and the rubber knife fell to the ground, even more harmless than usual.

Silent stillness for just a beat too long to be entirely comfortable, and Karma broke first. He’d never have won that one anyway, so there was no point in dragging it out.

"It’s like you’re not even trying," he sighed, letting go and shoving his hands in his pockets. " _Are_ you?"

Nagisa shook out his hand with a small frown. "But I’m not angry at you."

And that was what Nagisa kept getting wrong. Karma opened his mouth to explain-- _again_ \--that he didn’t have to be angry to manifest his bloodlust he just had to--

Nagisa cut him off. "I don’t want to kill you either!"

Karma was very close to whining, and he’d have gladly done it if he thought it would get him what he wanted.

He’d experienced many new things since he’d been in class E. Teachers who didn’t disappoint him. Classmates who didn’t get in his way. A constructive outlet for his violent nature. Humiliation, and hadn’t that been new and unpleasant?

But there was still something he yearned for, something he’d never felt in his life but really wanted to. Something that he’d only ever come close to on the roof of a hotel on a picturesque Ryukyu resort island.

 _Fear_.

He remembered looking up at his friend and feeling a shiver of unease trickle down his spine. But mostly he remembered wondering how it would feel to have all of that swirling, _oozing_ bloodlust directed at _him_. Would he be afraid? Would he be like Takaoka and nearly piss himself?

Very slowly, what had been an idle curiosity turned into what he didn’t particularly _want_ to call an obsession, but... well, Karma had no problems lying to other people, but he refused to lie to himself.

Karma left Nagisa visibly confused and irritated, and wandered back to the school building. He swiped the juice from his friend’s desk, feeling bit mean even though he knew Nagisa had left it out just for him.

He stood at the window, watching his classmates go about their activities, and wondered if it would be worth it to try to make Nagisa angry and how he’d even go about it.

Gradually, a methodic crunching made its way through his brooding and Karma stabbed out half-heartedly with the anti-sensei knife hidden up his sleeve. His target dodged easily of course, still munching on whatever he had in his bag.

"You look exceptionally sulky today, Karma-kun," Korosensei observed. "I wonder what’s on your mind."

Karma smiled cheerfully. "You look exceptionally octopus-like today, sensei. I wonder if you’d make good takoyaki."

"I make excellent takoyaki, as you know."

Karma snorted. He chewed on his straw for a moment, then said, "If you wanted to make someone show their bloodlust, what would you do?"

"I’ve found threatening to destroy the planet if I’m not killed within a year works fairly well," Korosensei answered serenely.

Karma shot him a disgusted look. "Fine, then what would you do if you were a human?"

"Hmm, I’ve never known you to speak in hypotheticals. What’s this about?"

Karma chewed some more, wondering how candid he should be. "I’m not afraid of you," he finally settled on while Korosensei sputtered. "None of us are, at least not right now. Maybe that’ll change if you actually destroy the earth, but then I won’t have any time to understand it. Karasuma-sensei and Bitch-sensei are fun and interesting, but I’m not scared of them either, and everyone else who comes you take care of before they can threaten us."

"You want to know what it’s like to be afraid." Korosensei said seriously, and it wasn’t anything like a question.

Karma shrugged. "How can you learn to deal with something you’ve never felt? What if I freeze the first time I feel it?"

"Somehow, I don’t think your motives are so innocuous," Korosensei sighed. "But I assume this has something to do with your first question. Whose bloodlust are you trying to provoke?"

"Nagisa’s."

There was a moment of silence, then Korosensei burst out laughing. He even had tears streaming from his eyes (or snot from his nostrils, it was still hard to tell which) when Karma looked at him, aghast.

"Nurufufufufufufuf! Oh my, Karma-kun you certainly tell amusing jokes!"

"I’m not joking," Karma said sullenly, crushing his juice box and throwing it at the trash can. He made it of course. "So what, you think it’s impossible or something?"

Korosensei blinked at him, still with that stupid grin though it was fading by the second. "Karma-kun..." he began gently, and Karma felt his cheeks burn though he couldn’t figure out why. For some reason, it felt like the octopus was beginning to look down on him. "How long have you been friends with Nagisa-kun?" he finally asked.

"Since our first year here. We’ve always been in the same class. Why?"

"From an outsider’s perspective it would seem odd wouldn’t it? Someone like you and someone like Nagisa-kun forming a friendship so quickly? So why did you approach him in the beginning? Why did you become friends with him?"

Karma frowned and thought back. It seemed like an awfully long time ago, but Korosensei was right. Why _had_ he singled out Nagisa of everyone in their class? "He was...interesting," Karma said, quiet and a bit unsure.

Korosensei lowered his own voice, the tone and softness almost mesmerizing. Eerie. "Nagisa-kun was? He’s fairly quiet isn’t he? He doesn’t stick out much. Nothing particularly interesting about him that should draw the attention of someone as shrewd and brilliant as you--"

"That’s _not_ true," Karma interrupted hotly, though a small guilty part of him was wondering too, now that it had been so crudely brough to attention.

Korosensei went right on over him. "He’s sort of boring, at first glance, actually. Easy to overlook. But a single glance was all it took for him to catch your eye, wasn’t it Karma-kun? Why do you suppose that is?"

Karma scowled, and turned back to the window, easily picking out Nagisa from the others. He and Kayako were giggling together, looking at where Karasuma-sensei was using Terasaka in some sort of demonstration.

"I don’t know," he said. Why _had_ he singled out Nagisa? He hadn’t known what a surprisingly sharp sense of humor he’d had then. Hadn’t known he’d find Karma amusing rather than terrifying, and how refreshing that would be. Hadn’t known how observant and sneaky he was. He should have just looked like a quiet kid.

Korosensei sighed, and leaned back, breaking the spell-like atmosphere. "You’ve gotten used to being around him, so I shouldn’t be surprised you never noticed. There’s no need to provoke Nagisa-kun’s bloodlust, Karma-kun. It’s always there, seething right beneath the surface. It's probably what attracted you. Like seeking like."

Karma stared, disbelieving. "If you’re going to lie, at least make an effort. You were on that roof with us. Nagisa does _not_ feel like _that_ all the time."

Korosensei bent his head in assent. "He doesn’t, because his natural bloodlust isn’t usually paired with true killing intent. He intended to kill Takaoka-san at first, and that’s what you and everyone else sensed. What took you all by surprise. It happened the previous time as well, though you weren’t here to see it, of course, and a scattered few other times."

"So you’re saying he’s...what? Acting? That he’s really some kind of monster?" Karma asked, intrigued. That might be interesting. Hard to wrap his head around with regards to _Nagisa_ , but interesting.

Korosensei chuckled. "Not at all." A thoughful pause. "If we're talking in terms of _potential_ then he certain does have that, and in the future he may become quite the fearsome monster indeed if that is the path he chooses. But right now, I’d bet my own life that he doesn’t even know what he has."

"Why can’t I feel this ‘monstrous’ bloodlust then? I’m usually pretty good at it."

There was a complicated shrugging motion with many tentacles. "Who knows? I'm surprised as well, since you’re usually so alert, but for whatever reason, most people don’t sense his bloodlust. However, Karma-kun, I wouldn’t recommend that you try to antagonize him into turning his killing intent on you."

Karma raised an eyebrow. "You think I’d lose?"

"If you succeeded I think, at the very least, you’d lose a good friend."

Karma faced the window once more, where down below the class had separated into pairs who were trying to put the moves they’d learned in the demonstration to practical use on each other. He still didn’t know if he believed all of what Korosensei had said, but...it didn’t feel false, and Karma had learned to trust his instincts.

"So how else should I try to experience fear?"

One of Korosensei’s tentacles landed on his head and ruffled his hair, much to Karma’s annoyance. "Oi!"

"You shouldn’t! Such things as fear, heartbreak, and grief will come in time. Enjoy the recklessness of youth while you still have it!"

"Ugh, you sound like someone’s grandpa," Karma sneered and finally succeeded in getting the damn tentacle _off_ his head by making Korosensei dodge his knife again. _Stupid octopus_.

Something about his voice changed then, becoming faraway."You’ll grow up soon enough. There’s no need to rush."

Karma wondered whose words he was repeating.

"Ah," Korosense said, coming back to himself, huge grin making an appearance again. "But only if you can kill me before I destroy the world!"

Karma rolled his shoulders and exhaled loudly, but he grinned back. "I supposed I should go train then. See ya, octopus-sensei."

"Oh yes, that reminds me why I originally sought you out. For skipping class, you’ll be having detention with me tomorrow morning!" he called. "Be here at six A.M. sharp, and dress to get dirty!"

Karma spluttered out a protest, but Korosensei was already gone. "Stupid octopus!" he shouted.

Karma could swear he heard _Nurufufufufufu!_ echo in the distance.


End file.
